Brazilian

I tried to catch Bruxas’ Más Profundo when it first came out in June, but it had already eluded me. This week, Dekmantel have pressed another batch of this transatlantic gem, a balearic Lusophone disco hybrid that is already going down as one of the best releases of the year.

Title track Más Profundo recalls Ibiza beach whispers in sultry Portuguese female vox reels. This track, like the rest of the EP, manages to build itself around balearic sensibilities without ever dropping the tempo. Tropical birds perch on synthesisers; nature floats by in 4/4 time. Sizzling, swirling and psychedelic, by the time it fades out, you wish it could go on forever.

Luckily, Tropicaçovas kicks it up a notch with the filthiest rhythm section this side of Bahia. Bruxas marry these traditional elements of Lusophone dance music with classic disco-era keys and arpeggiators to dazzling effect.

On the flip, Selva Cósmica stomps and trips along under Baldelli-style synthscapes, whisking you to the darkest of leaf-strewn Amazonian hideaways. Finally, Plantas Falsas digs into a cunning nu-disco workout as the sun drops low.

In 25 minutes of fuzzy balearic disco bliss, ‘Más Profundo’ sums up the entire 45turns ethos. An essential of 2017.

Common Edits are a label from Canada entirely dedicated to the art of the edit. As the name suggests, they only release edits, and every time they do, they throw a massive party.

If you find yourself in Edmonton, Canada this October, there’s a definite party going down.

As A1, ‘How About’, shows, Common edits goes beyond the standard chop and smash usually needed to constitute an edit these days. It’s an electro-boogie beast that flits around the room in an orange burning light, but never veers off track.

Eddie C, known for his Latin-themed work on labels like Barefoot Beats, stays true to his style and delivers an airy, downtempo rework of some tasteful Brazilian jazz ballad.

‘Space Up Your Life’ is swirling New York disco-funk with all the slap bass and filter fun you could want on one quarter of a 12” plastic disc.

One can only imagine where ‘Sunny Days in The Chocolate Factory’ came from- it reminds me of Disco Halal’s Brazilian outings, dark, pulsating undercurrents somehow meshing with breezy, tripped out guitars. At some points you could even be on Kraftwerk’s Autobahn- like being thrown out into the atmosphere, disengaged completely yet fixated on a single star while the slow mass of existence moves around it. The 45turns tip.

These Common edits tend not to be so common, so get it from your local vinyl dealer, record shop or online outlet ASAP.